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posts / VTR-500 test rides and status. 11/26/2023
I was able to get the VTR out for a test ride just down the block and back. J came over to help, which was especially dope because they brought their first-gen Ninja 250, which was the VTR-250's direct competitor. So we could ride the bikes back to back, compare and contrast, and all that.
Ultimately the VTR feels a lot like the Ninja, sitting still. The difference in ergos is minor but the engine is where it gets weird because that Ascot motor is just all torque. Where the Ninja wants to spin up to 11,000 rpm, the Ascot motor redlines at 7,000.
So testing the bike out was a good time. Having the bike just run with no problems is unexpected, especially before I've even jetted the carb. So I am behind on things like preparing the tank, which is rusty and missing both cap and petcock. So I have those items on order while the tank sits full of Evaporust.
Tires are a shitshow too. I've never seen rubber get so hard and crystallized. The front tire appears to be from 1989, if the date code is to be believed, so getting new tires on this bike is beyond crucial. For the meantime I'll probably just get a pair of Shinko something or others on here, but this brings me to my next thought regarding the future of this project.
Front end and tire options.
The whole time I've had this bike I've been 100% on board with running the stock front wheel with its strange braking setup. Figured I can make this thing work, especially given steel brake lines and HH pads (if I can find some). Then I realized that in 1990 when Honda went to a more conventional disk brake system, they also moved from the 16" to a 17" front wheel. That would mean the bike is riding on 17's at both ends, which opens tire options up. I could get some much more modern rubber on this thing, including the Moto3 control tire, which is made and sold by Dunlop. So look, I love the inboard disk shenanigans Honda was pulling in the 80s, but it's just a few bucks and I can run some of literally the best racing tires in the world.
What will it take to make that happen? Obviously a brake caliper, a front wheel, and a rotor if it doesn't come with the wheel. The part numbers for the fork stanchions are the same for the whole run of this model, so I could just get the left fork lower and that would have the mounting points I'd need for the brake caliper. Then I've got a front end, ready for world class racing tires. In other words. if you need me I'll be digging around on Ebay.
